Structures, such as houses and other low rise buildings, are often constructed on foundations which are not in direct contact with bedrock or other stable load-bearing stratum. Further, these types of foundations are typically constructed from a combination of shallow concrete spread footings with concrete slabs or other floor and wall systems. Accordingly, when these foundations are constructed on inadequate soils, support walls or foundations that impose excessive loads on the soil may, after time, settle into the ground. Occasionally, a building may settle in such a way that part of the building settles significantly lower than the rest of the building. In some instances, the entire building may settle significantly off level. Such settling may occur due to poor building materials, poor engineering of the building and/or preparation of the ground below the building, poor or changing soil conditions, and so forth. For example, if the soil under one or more particular sections of the foundation is not stable enough to resist the load(s) of the building, the foundation will sink into the soil in these areas, causing the building supported by the foundation to become unleveled, and oftentimes causing structural damage to the foundation.
Several related art systems for raising and/or supporting a building foundation or a part thereof exist. Many of these systems utilize support devices, called piles or piers, that attach to, or otherwise support, the foundation using a bracket that is attached to the pier. Typically, the pile or pier is driven into the ground until it is determined that the pier has contacted structure that is sufficient to resist the load of the building. A bracket is then attached to the foundation and contacted with the top of the pier. A jack or some other type of driving tool is then used to lift the bracket and foundation while being driven against the top of the pier.
For example, one known method for correcting foundation settling consists of employing hydraulic jacks in conjunction with piers to lift the foundation. Piers, also known as piles or pilings, are driven into the ground by hydraulic mechanisms until the pier reaches bedrock or until the pier's frictional resistance equals the compression weight of the structure. Once these piers are secured in a stable underground stratum or several stable underground strata, further lifting by the hydraulic jacks raises the level of the foundation. When the foundation is raised to the desired level, the piers are permanently secured to the foundation. The hydraulic jacks are then removed. This method of correcting the level of a foundation generally requires the excavation of a hole adjacent to or underneath the foundation in order to position and operate the lifting equipment.
Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,782 to May, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference for all that is taught, discloses an apparatus for lifting a building foundation using a pier and a bracket attached to the object to be lifted. The bracket disclosed in May, however, is complicated and, thus, costly, to manufacture and is not sturdy enough to withstand excess loads over a certain amount.
There exists, therefore, a need for a bracket and an apparatus with which the bracket is used, for lifting and stabilizing heavy objects and structures where the bracket is inexpensive to manufacture and is significantly more sturdy than brackets currently known.